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SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK 


HEARING 

W -S (Lew caaju **■ V , before the 

COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS 
FIRST SESSION 


ON 

H. R. 8599 


AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT TO APPOINT ALVIN CULLOM 
YORK A SECOND LIEUTENANT AND PLACE HIS NAME ON 
THE RETIRED LIST WITH THE PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF A 
SECOND LIEUTENANT OF THE REGULAR ARMY 


STATEMENT OF 

HON. CORDELL HULL 

OF TENNESSEE 





WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 


1919 









COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS. 


House of Representatives. 


SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS. 


JULIUS KAHN, California, Chairman. 


DANIEL R. ANTHONY, Jr., Kansas. 
JOHN C. McKENZIE, Illinois. 

FRANK L. GREENE, Vermont. 

JOHN M. MORIN, Pennsylvania. 
THOMAS S. CRAGO, Pennsylvania. 
HARRY E. HULL, Iowa. 

ROLLIN B. SANFORD, New York. 

W. FRANK JAMES, Michigan. 
CHARLES C. KEARNS, Ohio. 

ALVAN T. FULLER, Massachusetts. 
FIORELLO H. LaGUARDIA, New York. 
JOHN F. MILLER, Washington. 


S. HUBERT DENT, Jr., Alabama. 
WILLIAM J. FIELDS, Kentucky. 
PERCY E. QUIN, Mississippi. 

CHAS. POPE CALDWELL, New York. 
.TAMES W. WISE, Georgia. 

RICHARD OLNEY, Massachusetts. 
THOMAS W. HARRISON, Virginia. 
HUBERT F. FISHER, Tennessee. 


2 


James A. Buchanan, Clerk. 

B. Floye Taylor, Assistant Clerk. 


o,' of 

AFK 2» |y23 


.* • 


■y& 

SERGT. 

3 


ALVIN C. YORK. 


Committee on Military Affairs, 

House of Representatives, 

• Monday, October 20,1919. 

The committee met at 10.30 o’clock a. m., Hon. Julius Kahn (chair¬ 
man) presiding. 

The Chairman. The committee will come to order. 

Mr. Hull of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, may I be recognized to 
prefer a request? 

The Chairman. Yes. 

STATEMENT OF HON. CORDELL HULL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. 

Mr. Hull. Some months ago I introduced a bill, after consulta¬ 
tion with the War Department, to give certain recognition to Sergt. 
Alvin C. York. That bill was referred to a subcommittee of this com¬ 
mittee. I have just learned that the letter from the War Department 
approving the bill, by some inadvertence, did not reach the subcom¬ 
mittee, but the subcommittee, not very unnaturally, reported the bill 
back to the full committee in order that the committee might deter¬ 
mine the question of policy involved? 

The Chairman. Yes. 

Mr. Hull. My application is to be given an opportunity to present 
a few facts in connection with the matter which might reflect on the 
question of policy and any other pertinent facts, I would not pre¬ 
sume to be capable of giving this committee any information that 
would help it much, although I have seen some little military service 
and have some facts in connection with this matter which the com¬ 
mittee might not easily obtain from other sources, that will shed some 
light, I think, on this question. 

The Chairman. We will be very glad to hear you in a very few 
days. We have some hearings which ought to be held, and as soon 
as we dispose of those I shall be very glad to set a day to hear you. 

Mr. Hull. I shall appreciate it. It was because of the hearings 
being held by this committee that I did not intrude myself or this 
subject on the committee during the several months that the bill 
referred to has been pending, although I have been constantly watch¬ 
ing for a chance to get in. I thank you. 

/ _ 


Committee on Military Affairs, 

House of Representatives, 
Wednesday, October 22,1919. 

The committee met at 10 o’clock a. m., Hon. Julius Kahn (chair¬ 
man), presiding. 

The Chairman. Gentlemen of the committee, Mr. Hull of Ten¬ 
nessee is with us this morning, and desires to address the committee 

3 


144462—19 




4 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


in behalf of a bill which he introduced for the granting of com¬ 
missioned rank to Sergt. York, of Tennessee. The committee will 
be pleased to hear Mr. Hull. 

STATEMENT OE HON. CORDELL HULL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. 

Mr. Hull. Mr. Chairman, it goes without saying that I value 
very highly the courtesy of the committee in giving me this oppor¬ 
tunity to appear here for a short while in support of this bill, H. R. 
8599. 

The bill would authorize the President to appoint Alvin C. York, 
late sergeant, Company G, Three hundred and twenty-eighth In¬ 
fantry, Eighty-second Division, a second lieutenant in the Regular 
Army, and place him upon the retired list with the pay and allow¬ 
ances of a retired second lieutenant. 

The bill recites as a basis for so doing the conspicuous gallantry 
and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with 
the enemy, which constitutes a separate and outstanding individual 
achievement, an achievement thus generally recognized as distinct 
from all others by reason of its magnitude. 

Mr. Chairman, when this soldier returned from France in May 
last, so far as I can learn, he was given the greatest reception in 
this country of any of our .2,000,000 returning officers and soldiers, 
except Gen. Pershing. This is true, although he at no time had 
any influential friends to take note of his movements and individual 
achievements and give them publicity. In fact, it is related that 
Sergt. York himself made no sort of effort to divulge or get before his 
superior officers the full facts of his wonderful exploit. The manner 
in which the Regular Army officers of the Eighty-second Division 
proceeded with such accuracy and fairness to locate and assemble 
every material fact and circumstance pertaining to York’s fight 
constitutes a high tribute to these officers. 

At a dinner given by former Tennesseeans in New York in honor 
of Sergt. York the evening after he landed, Gen. George B. Duncan, 
the major general who commanded York’s division, along with the 
admiral who conducted all of our forces safely across the seas— 
Admiral Albert Gleaves—attended and occupied seats with and ad¬ 
jacent to this enlisted man. With your permission, Mr. Chairman, I 
want to read one or two paragraphs of Gen. Duncan’s address on 
that occasion, as follows: 

It is an especial distinction to have on one side the admiral who safely con¬ 
ducted us to Europe—Vice Admiral Gleaves—and on the other side to be re¬ 
flected in the glory of one of the most distinguished soldiers the world has pro¬ 
duced. His deeds are of the character that go down in history—upon which the 
boys and girls of our country are fed to make them patriots and, in time of 
emergency, to emulate the example he set. Sergt. York is a very unpretentious 
soldier and an exceedingly modest man. He had been awarded the distinguished 
service cross for being leader of a party that brought in a number of German 
prisoners—officers and enlisted men. One day an officer of my staff came to 
me and said, “ Have you ever gotten all the facts in this exploit of Sergt. 
York? ” I said I had only the facts that were presented for the granting of the 
distinguished service cross. He continued: “ I have had occasion to look them 
up, and, in my opinion, his was the most outstanding example of individual 
gallantry not only in this war but that I ever heard of.” 

So I started an investigation, the result of which was the award by the 
President of the congressional medal of honor, which I had the honor of 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


5 


placing around his neck before we left France. This is the only decoration 
worn suspended from the neck by a ribbon. And I tell you that it is typical 
ol the modesty ot this tine soldier that lie has it pinned alongside another 
decoration instead. As to the facts of Sergt. York’s exploit, they are already 
in your possession, as you have all read of them adequately in the public press, 
and more specifically in the article by Mr. George Pattullo in the Saturday 
Evening Post. 

Gen. Duncan then related how the correspondent came back from 
Germany to France especially to get York’s story, and how he was 
cautioned to get every detail absolutely accurate, as “ they must go 
down in history." Gen. Duncan continued: 

Sergt. York is not only modest: he is absolutely unabashed, unafraid in any 
society of people, in the presence of any enemy. As you see him here to-night, 
you would have seen him on the field of battle. It has remained for the Society 
of Tennessee to establish a precedent, which I pray will be followed forever by 
other societies and people, in giving honors to whom they belong—to the man 
who carries a gun and goes over the top. 

It was my clear understanding from the statement of Gen. Duncan 
and others that Mr. George Pattullo, noted as an able, conservative, 
and reliable writer for the Saturday Evening Post, was given access 
do the official facts with the express understanding that his story of 
York’s achievement should be scrupulously accurate. In his article 
published in the Saturday Evening Post of April 26, 1919, contain¬ 
ing a comprehensive summing up of the chief material facts of 
York’s fight, Mr. Pattullo makes the following statement: 

Let me say here and now that York’s story is genuine from start to finish. 
It has been thoroughly sifted by headquarters of the Eighty-second Division; 
by Maj. G. Edward Buxton, jr., of Providence, It. I., who formerly commanded 
the battalion of the Three hundred and twenty-eighth to which York belongs; 
by Maj. Tillman, now commanding it: and by York’s captain, E. C. B. Danforth, 
jr., of Augusta, Ga. On top of this, I questioned every soldier in the detach¬ 
ment with York, checked up every detail with the official reports and informa¬ 
tion, and went over every step of the ground while* he told his story. In 
telling it he was far more prone to leave out than to amplify; men who do 
big things seldom like to talk about them, and are never fluent. 

£ * 3= * * * * 

The end of a week’s investigation left me convinced that Corp. York had 
performed the most remarkable individual feat of fighting to the credit of the 
American Expeditionary Force. And the weapons he used were peculiarly 
American weapons—a rifle and a pistol. 

The reading of the Pattullo article in full shows on its face that 
he was even ultraconservative in his efforts to be exact. He adopted 
this policy for at least two reasons, one being that the Saturday 
Evening Post requires articles for publication to be both “ boiled 
down ” and well within the facts, and the other reason was that the 
Army officials, knowing that the story of York’s fight would go down 
in history, exacted of Mr. Pattullo the same conservatism in return 
for the official facts which were furnished him. The official investi¬ 
gation of the facts pertaining to this fight covered a period of some 
four months, as I recall. No responsible person, so far as I know or 
can learn, questions the truth of the facts or the outstanding magni¬ 
tude of York’s individual achievement. The closest scrutiny of 
every fact and circumstance, which has already been made, is still 
welcome and still invited. I only wish that this committee could 
hear Maj. Gen. George B. Duncan, or any other one of the many 
entirely reliable officers who know at first-hand the detailed facts of 
York’s exploit. 


6 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


I do not hesitate to refer the committee to Gen. Charles P. Sum- 
merall, the corps commander, who when he visited the Eighty-second 
Division in February, acquainted himself with the full facts, had 
York sent for, and in the presence of all the officers of that division 
pronounced a wonderful eulogy upon Sergt. York, as follows: 

Corpl. York, your division commander has reported to me your exceedingly 
gallant conduct during the operations of your division in the Meuse-Argonne 
Battle. I desire to express to you my pleasure and commendation for the 
courage, skill, and gallantry which you displayed on that occasion. It is an 
honor to command such soldiers as you. Your .conduct reflects great credit 
not only upon the American Army, but upon the American people. Your deeds 
will be recorded in the history of this Great War and they will live as an in¬ 
spiration not only to your comrades but to the generations that will come after 
us. I wish to commend you publicly and in the presence of the officers of 
your division. 

The Chairman. Gen. Summerall is in Washington now, so that 
any member of the committee who would like to speak with him 
upon the subject would have such opportunity. 

Mr. Hull. Were it not needless I would specially refer the com¬ 
mittee to the Secretary of War, the Chief of Staff, or any other 
member of the War Department who has had occasion to review the 
facts and make appraisal of the different individual achievements 
among the soldiers in the recent war. The unqualified favorable 
letter from the Secretary of War was naturally based on thorough 
familiarity with the true facts and the keenest appreciation of their 
amazing character. 

I happen to have here a very conservative history of the Eighty- 
second Division, written by Lieut. Col. George E. Roosevelt, division 
chief of staff, and Lieut. Col. G. Edward Buxton, of Rhode Island, 
who was the commanding officer of the Three hundred and twenty- 
eighth Infantry to which York belonged, and they bear testimony 
to this transaction and characterize it as the greatest individual 
achievement of the war. It was published in the New York Times of 
June 8, 1919. 

The Chairman. Could you not insert that reference in the history 
of the regiment to York’s achievement in the hearing? 

Mr. Hull. I shall be very glad to do that, as follows: 

The corps objective which the Three hundred and twenty-eighth Infantry 
reached on October 8 was a narrow-gauge railroad which supplied the German 
troops opposing the Seventy-seventh Division with food and ammunition. This 
strategic line was seized and held in an assault of great brilliancy by the Sec¬ 
ond Battalion, Three hundred and twenty-eighth Infantry. It was during this 
attack that Sergt. Alvin C. York, with some assistance from seven men in his 
squad, fought and whipped a first-class German battalion, capturing and bring¬ 
ing into our lines 132 prisoners, including the German major and three other 
officers. This has been called the outstanding individual achievement of the war. 

It is seen that these officers are writing in a conservative tone, but 
it will be noted that the language they use recites that “ Sergt. York 
fought and whipped a first-class German battalion, with some assist¬ 
ance from seven men of his squad,” etc.. The detailed facts show the 
nature and extent of assistance he received, and show that during the 
entire fighting, in which 25 Germans were killed, York’s associates 
did not pull a trigger and were not where they could see him or where 
he could see them. The majority of them reported afterward that 
they confined their activities entirely to guarding prisoners. None 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 7 

fired a shot. But they are freely given whatever credit they should 
have. 

The American people, Mr. Chairman, are, of course, all of one mind 
with respect to their feelings of gratitude and high consideration 
toward every soldier, sailor, and marine who participated in the 
World War, both those , who engaged in battle and those who wore 
the uniform and were ready to do so but were denied the opportunity, 
because in the circumstances all could not get to fight. The people of 
the Nation in all the coming years will vie with each other in paying 
suitable and deserved tribute to each and every soldier, sailor, and 
marine for what he did or was ready to undertake had the oppor¬ 
tunity been offered in connection with the successful prosecution of 
the World War. The great mass of our soldiers thus participating 
are, as a rule, honored and eulogized collectively because of the simi¬ 
larity of their achievements. In accordance with the long-established 
custom of all countries, those individual soldiers who have performed 
deeds of valor above and beyond the call of duty have received special 
mention and special consideration in one way or another. Any com¬ 
pliment thus bestowed has been extended both as a small and deserved 
recognition of the highly distinguished service thus rendered by the 
soldier and as a means of pointing out and exhibiting through him 
the capabilities and type of his comrades. Tribute is thus paid to him 
and through him to all his fellow soldiers. Officers have most fre¬ 
quently been specially honored by their Government by the presenta¬ 
tion of a sword or a gold medal or a resolution of thanks of Con¬ 
gress. The question of substantial increase of rank and retirement 
and all that goes with it is generally not overlooked. 

As I have indicated, the private soldiers are in the main honored 
collective^ or individually by special mention, or as to that small 
group where extraordinary heroism has been exhibited, by the award 
of the distinguished-service cros^s, or in that 'smaller group, where 
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of 
duty has been exhibited, by the award of the congressional medal of 
honor. It so happens that in most all wars the greatest individual 
achievements among the private soldiers are common to quite a num¬ 
ber alike—that is to say, are of similar magnitude. It is rare, indeed, 
that any one individual has been fortunate enough to achieve an 
individual feat which, in its magnitude, importance, and true sig¬ 
nificance stands out separate, distinct, and beyond that of any other 
individual soldier. I venture to say, however, that it is true in the 
case of the recent war that the exploit of Sergt. Alvin C. York 
justly falls within this latter class. In making this statement I do 
not for one moment minimize or overlook the highly important, 
patriotic, and invaluable functions performed by all our soldiers, nor 
those mighty deeds of valor which we find exhibited in wonderful 
degree by numerous heroic individuals. All honor to them, to all 
these. Each is entitled to the fullest recognition according to his 
deeds. I am making the point, however, that the high tide of indi¬ 
vidual achievement among the American forces is marked by the 
unparalleled and seemingly impossible feat of Sergt. York, which 
reflects credit and glory not only on York, but upon every American 
soldier, and as such is entitled to special recognition and deserves to 
be perpetuated as an example for coming generations to emulate. 


8 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


The question has been raised on this bill that it is unprecedented 
and might constitute a bad precedent. Mr. Chairman, this bill had 
to be, and was deliberately made, unprecedented, because it was 
undertaking to deal with an unprecedented individual achievement. 
This soldier, it would matter not what rank might be conferred 
upon him now, will always be known in this country as Sergt. York. 
It was in that individual capacity and in that capacity of a non¬ 
commissioned officer that this achievement was gained by him. A 
mere ordinary increase of rank would not suffice. It should be some 
unusual action. 

I conferred with several Members of the House and tried to get 
to the distinguished chairman of this committee, but he was so 
engrossed I could not do so at the time. I did confer with some of 
the other members of the committee, and I conferred at different 
times with officers of the military department of the Government, 
and I also conferred with the Secretary of War and the Chief of 
Staff before the bill was introduced. I did not desire to commit any 
mistake of propriety or of judgment that would place this soldier or 
place ourselves in such a light that would justify any but favorable 
comment. So I took the best counsel that I could and then offered 
this bill. I took this step without any suggestion from the soldier 
or anyone for him. 

Of course, it goes without saying that if an enlisted man in battle 
can not do a thing big enough to entitle him to such recognition as is 
extended in certain cases to the lowest commissioned officer of the 
Regular Army—I apprehend that if the committee should take that 
view, my remarks here would fall short of their purpose. 

The Chairman. Mr. Hull, I see the Secretary of War has sent 
to the committee a favorable report on this bill. 

Mr. Hull. Yes; I discussed the matter beforehand with a view 
to trying to avoid running amuck in any way; at least, as much as 
possible, and at the same time offer a bill which carries the reason¬ 
able and fair proposal with which you are familiar. 

Mr. Greene. Mr. Hull, simply for the benefit of the record, when 
you have a chance to look over your remarks, would you include a 
succinct record of Sergt. York’s achievement, so that they may be 
of record here? 

Mr. Hull. If I could do it right now, I do not want to impose on 
anybody, but in order to appreciate this it is very necessary to have 
at least a vague idea of the topography. I will leave to the committee 
the question of whether I shall consume 10 minutes in running 
briefly over the outstanding facts as to how this occurred. I should 
like to do so and show the topography. 

Mr. Caldwell. Let us hear it. This man has done something for 
all of us. 

The Chairman. It is possible that Mr. Hull can put the entire 
statement in the record. 

Mr. Greene. I thought if Mr. Hull took his time and. took the 
matter up in a deliberate way, he might find a better opportunity 
to be more specific in detail and perhaps suit his own purposes better 
than if he tried now to make a hurried statement. 

The Chairman. That is exactly what I had in mind. 

Mr. Hull. Of course, the main benefit I would expect to derive 
from pointing out the topography there would be to show more 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


9 


vividly how it was necessary for this man to exhibit, in the very 
highest degree, on the instant, four or five of the most important 
qualities that anybody can possess, such as courage, daring, coolness, 
the highest order of military judgment, and the highest skill in the 
use of firearms. If this man had not been able to exercise each of 
those qualities in the highest degree on the instant, he would not 
have had even a remote chance to have gotten through with this 
fight as lie did. I shall not insist, of course, on going over it here 
now in view of the committee’s situation and attitude, which I 
appreciate, but I will insert as many of the principal important and 
outstanding facts showing how the fight occurred as I can, consistent 
with the limitations of this hearing. I can not hope to get in many 
minor facts and sidelights which vitally contribute to this most 
thrilling exploit. Space forbids. I am keenly desirous, however, 
of seeing all these facts and circumstances brought together so that 
a full and accurate story of York’s achievement may be handed on 
both to the boys and the men who are to follow us. This would 
naturally include that remarkable combination of personal qualities 
which York possesses, apart from his mere ability to fight, and of 
which I shall later make mention. 

I read a few extracts from Pattullo’s account of York’s fight, pub¬ 
lished in the Saturday Evening Post, as follows: 

York refused to ask exemption, went to war, and as Corp. York, of Company 
Cf, Three hundred and twenty-eighth Infantry, killed 20 Germans on October 
8, captured 132 prisoners, including a major and three lieutenants, put 35 
machine guns out of business, and thereby broke up an entire battalion which 
was about to counter attack against the Americans on Hill 223 in the Argonne 
sector near Chatel-Chehery. 

He outfought the machine-gun battalion with his rifle and automatic pistol. 
There were seven other Americans present at the tight, but it was York’s 
battle and only York’s. But for him not a man of them would have come out 
alive except as prisoners. In my estimation it stands out as the greatest indi¬ 
vidual feat of the war. Not only because of the amazing things he did that 
day, but because of the man’s deep religious conviction and scruples. For 
though York joined the Army when drafted he remained troubled for months, 
and it was only after his captain had laid his doubts by quoting biblical au¬ 
thority for taking up the sword that he saw his duty clearly. Once his con¬ 
science was at ease the second elder went in for fighting in earnest—and he 
surely did one fine job. * * * 

This Tennessee mountaineer seems to do everything correctly by intuition; 
Army officers who have been over the ground where he fought assert that no 
amount of military training could have improved his tactics, yet with York it 
was entirely the working of instinct, for until November 14, 1917, he was living 
on a small farm on Wolf River, 5 miles from the Kentucky border. On that 
day he joined the Army at Camp Gordon. Ga., and became No. 1910421. He 
has always farmed or worked at blacksmithing. 

* ••!: * * * # 

Finally York saw the light and joined the Church of Christ and Christian 
Union in February, 1915. From that day to this he has lived up faithfully to 
the rules of his sect. They are very strict. None but a man of deep convic¬ 
tions could adhere to their teachings; you can not meet York without feeling 
a profound respect for his sincerity and the rugged strength of his faith. His 
church is against fighting in any form, so when the draft came along and 
reached out for York he was in a difficult dilemma. For not only was he a 
member of the church, but second elder; often he led the services. He took a 
leading part in the singing, and several Sunday schools in the country owed 
their origin to him. What should he do? The congregation were unanimous on 
the point: York must ask for exemption as a conscientious objector. Pastor 
R. C. Pile urged it long and eloquently. His mother, faced with the prospect 
of losing the head of the household at a time when her health was not robust, 
and with three small children on her hands, backed up his arguments. 


10 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


But York refused. He belonged to the Church of Christ and Christian 
Union and subscribed to its doctrines, but he was not going to back out of 
serving his country when it was drawn into war. As with a great many other 
courageous men patriotism was stronger in the Tennessee mountaineer than 
any other impulse. So York let the draft take its course with him. 

4! /p .p 9 ^ ^ 

* 

The Eighty-second Division was originally a southern division; nearly all 
Its officers hail from the South. But various shifts and changes resulted in 
every State of the Union being represented in the Eighty-second in consid¬ 
erable numbers. For instance, one regiment can boast that 35 training camps 
have contributed to man its ranks. Therefore the Eighty-second wears AA 
on its insignia—All America—and they are almost as proud of it as the 
Veteran First Division is of the red numeral on the left shoulder. The men 
of the First think that means more than a croix de guerre; and I am inclined 
to agree with them. 

York was soon promoted to corporal in Company G, Three hundred and 
Twenty-eighth Infantry, Eighty-second Division; and he was with his com¬ 
pany when the Second Battalion of the Three hundred and twenty-eighth 
jumped off from Hill 223, just north of Chatel-Chehery, at 6 o’clock on the 
morning of the 8th of October. Their objective was the Decauville Railroad, 
2 kilometers due west—and, by the way, they got it. They got it despite the 
sheer ridges they had to climb under artillery and machine-gun fire; and the 
Bodies were obliged to pull out of a sector of the Argonne Forest, their com¬ 
munications 1 having been cut. 

The battalion had to cross a valley several hundred yards in width. On 
the left rose a considerable hill, from which the Bodies sprayed them with 
macliine-gun fire. Straight ahead towered the elevation known as 167, a 
steep, high ridge, from which came a withering fire; Cornay Ridge, on their 
right, sounded like a thousand steel hammers at work. In other words, the 
Americans were caught by fire from three directions. 

York was on the extreme left of the advance, his platoon being the support 
platoon of the left assault company. 

“ We were losing a lot of men,” he said. “ See that little rise just where 
the slope of the hill comes down? Well, it looked like we couldn’t get beyond 
that. The line just seemed to melt away when it reached there.” 

UNDER CROSSFIRE. 

This was due to the fact that Boche machine guns- on the hill—now known 
as York’s Hill—had the Americans enfiladed. Therefore Sergt. Harry M. 
Parsons, formerly an actor, who was in command of the platoon, was ordered 
to advance with his men and cover the left flank. The fire was too hot in 
the valley, so they skirted the foot of the hill in order to gain some pro¬ 
tection. 

Parsons ordered Acting Sergt. Bernard Early to take two squads and put 
the enemy machine guns out of action. That was when the • real business 
began. 

Early had under him 16 men: Corpl. York, Corpl. William B. Cutting, 
Corpl. Murray Savage, Pvts. Maryan E. Dymowski, Ralph E. Weiler, Fred 
Wareing, William Wine, Carl Swanson, Mario Muzzi, Percy Beardsley, Joe 
Konotski, Feodor Sak, Thomas G. Johnson, Michael A. Sacina, Patrick Dona¬ 
hue, and George W. Wills. Of these Corpl. Savage and Pvts. Dymowski, 
Weiler, Wareing, Wine, and Swanson were killed early in the fight, practically 
by the first blasts from the machine-gun emplacements. Sergt. Early, Corpl. 
Cutting, and Pvt. Muzzi were wounded at the same time, the first-named being 
shot three times through the body. That left Corpl. York and seven privates 
to turn the trick. 

It was a clear day. There had been mists in the valley and shrouding the 
hills just after dawn, but they had lifted, so that the movements of the 
Americans were perfectly visible to the enemy along the ridges. As the little 
party started up the hill which they proposed to clear of Bodies, machine 
guns peppered them from the Cornay Ridge at their backs, but the trees and 
brush were very thick and they escaped beyond observation without losing 
a man. The nests they were after lay on the other side of a slope; the Boches 
were firing at the Infantry in the valley, and were wholly unconscious of the 
detachment bent on circling round behind them. 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


11 


whTnnint^hP^fr Y ent f tllmblil f u Pward through the leafy jungle, bullets 
I ! e - C ies above and round them. None were hit, however, and 

j t '.'l f 1Iled above the tire. It was a stiff climb. I went up that hill 
latei Without a pack and free from anxiety, and found it hard going. What 

iave , been \ vlth ful1 equipment, machine guns blazing at them, and the 
enemy ahead in unknown strength. 

, Ab, ’. ut t'vo-thn-ds of the way up they came upon an old wide trench, probably 
built by the French early in the war. They entered this and followed it. The 
clamoi of the tight on the other side of the hill now grew less 

llu' trench led over the crest. Going warily in single hie, now stopping to 
listen and make sure that no enemy lurked near, now moving with painful cau¬ 
tion lest they be heard, the detachment penetrated upward through the dense 
woods and began to descend the other slope. Sergt. Early was' in the lead. 
I util \\minded he directed all the operations; his behavior throughout the en¬ 
tire aftair was of the highest order. 


A SHRIEKING BEDLAM. 

Still they saw no Germans. They could hear bring off at their right; they 
could hear it ahead; but not a sign of the enemy did they see. Finally they 
debouched upon a path, and there in the wet earth were fresh foot prints. 

They crossed the path and continued the descent, veering to the left to make 
sure they should get behind the enemy. A few minutes, and they entered an¬ 
other path—well worn, full of new footprints. 

“ Which way had we better take?” whispered Sergt. Early to Corpl. York. 

“Let’s right oblique,'' answered the mountaineer; and they right obliqued 
and went downward along the path. 

It dipped steeply to a cuplike valley amid the hills. A puny stream flowed 
through this valley ^everywhere were trees and bushes and tangles of under¬ 
growth. 

Suddenly they espied two Germans ahead of them in the path. Both wore 
the lied Cross brassard, and both started to run at the first glimpse of the 
Americans. Some shots were fired, and one stopped. He surrendered; the 
other disappeared. 

“ It looked like a battle was coming,” said York, “ so we went into skirm¬ 
ish order.” 

They scattered out amid the riot of brush and pushed forward. Presently 
the leaders of the party arrived at the stream, and there on the other side were 
about 20 or 30 Germans, gathered near a small hut that was evidently some 
kind of I*. C. At any rate several officers were holding a conference and a 
number of the men were squatted on the ground apparently about to eat. 

The Americans instantly let fly. A few of the enemy returned the shots, but 
the majority dropped guns and equipment and threw up their hands, shouting 
“ Kamerad! ” 

What had happened? How came the enemy behind them? 

“ Don’t shoot! ” ordered Sergt. Early. “ They’re going to surrender.” 

Surrender they did, the whole outfit, including the major in command of the 
battalion. 

“What are you? English?” he asked. 

“ Americans,” answered York. 

“ Good Lord ! ” said the major. 

Early’s detachment now made preparations to take them out. But before 
.they could move, all hell broke loose. Along the steep slope of the hill facing 
them, not 30 yards away, was machine gun after machine gun, snugly placed 
in fox holes, but pointing in the other direction. The Bodies manning them 
swung these guns round and opened up a fusillade on the attackers. The valley 
became a chattering, shrieking bedlam. Some Heinies on a hill far to the rear 
of the Americans sensed a new menace and opened up wildly against their 
own position, but their fire was many yards high and merely seared the tops of 
the trees. 

At the first blast of fire every Heinie prisoner dropped flat on his stomach and 
hugged the ground. The Americans followed their example. Some took refuge 
behind trees, others burrowed amid the underbrush, but six were killed. Sergt. 
Early was shot through the body; Corpl. Cutting had three bullets through the 
left arm; Pvt. Muzzi had a wound in the shoulder; Pvt. Beardsley, who had an 
automatic, and was crouched down near Corpl. York when the trouble started, 
crept back to a big tree for protection. On one side of him lay Pvt. Dymowski 


12 


SKRGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


and on the other was Pvt. Wareing. Both were riddled with bullets—shot all 
to pieces. Beardsley told me afterwards that he considered the situation hope¬ 
less and could not operate his gun. 

Nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine men out 
of a million would have considered the situation hopeless. The millionth man 
was Corpl. Alvin C. York. The second elder was down on his haunches amid the 
brush picking off the Bodies as fast as he could shoot. From this moment the 
battle became all York’s. 

Six of the detachment were killed almost immediately after the machine guns 
opened up; three were wounded, including the sergeant in command. York and 
seven privates remained. 

Of these Pvt. Beardsley could do nothing from his position while the enemy 
tire kept up, for it raked both sides of his tree from close to the ground to a 
height of 4 feet. 

Pvt. Michael A. Saeina says in his statement: “ I was guarding the prisoners 
with my rifle and bayonet on the right flank of the group of prisoners, so close 
to them that the machine gunners could not shoot at me without hitting their 
own men. This saved me. During the fighting I remained on guard, watching 
these prisoners and unable to turn around and fire myself for this reason. From 
where I stood I could not see any of the other men in my detachment.” 

And Pvt. Donahue, a game little Irishman: “ During all this shooting I was 
guarding the mass of Germans taken prisoners and devoted my attention to 
watching them. When we first came in on the Germans I fired a shot at them 
before they surrendered. Afterwards I was busy guarding tbe prisoners and did 
not shoot. From where I stood I could see only Pvts. Wills, Saeina, and Sak. 
They were also guarding prisoners.” 

NEVER A THOUGHT OF DEATH. 

* 

Pvt. George W. Wills: “ When the heavy firing from machine guns commenced 
I was guarding some of the German prisoners. During this time I saw only 
Pvts. Donahue. Saeina, Beardsley, and Muzzi. Pvt. Swanson was right near me 
when he was shot. I closed,up very close to the Germans with my bayonet on 
my rifle and prevented some of them who tried to leave the bunch and get into 
the bushes from leaving. I knew that my only chance was to keep them together 
and also to keep them between me and the Germans who were shooting. I heard 
Corpl. York several times shouting to the machine gunners on the hill to come 
down and surrender, but from where I stood I could not see Corpl. York. I 
saw him, however, when the firing stopped and he told us to get along the sides 
of the column.” 

My purpose in quoting the statements of these men is to show by elimination 
what York did, in order to convince the skeptical. Every man, except the second 
elder, is now accounted for; we know from their own lips what the survivors 
of the first blasts did in the fight that ensued. .But somebody killed more than 
20 Bodies on the slopes of that hill and put 35 machine guns out of action. Who 
was it? 

Capt. B. Cox, of Atlanta, Ga., who later came over the hill frontally with his 
platoon, told me that he counted a dozen dead Bodies lying along a path and 
saw the arms and legs of 8 or 10 more sticking out from behind bushes. His 
estimate placed the dead at 25. I am putting the number at 20, to be conserva¬ 
tive and because the slaughter was the least part of the exploit. What counts 
is the fact that the second elder of a church opposed to fighting should have 
given battle to an entire machine-gun battalion and got away with it. 

He never thought of surrender. His problem was to make tbe enemy give 
up as quickly as possible, and he kept yelling to them to “ Come down! ” 

Bang! Bang! “Come down!” York would shout, precisely as though the 
surrender of a battalion to an individual soldier were the usual thing—and I 
really believe he regards it that way, provided the soldier be an American. 

“ Somehow I knew I wouldn’t be killed,” be said. “ I’ve never thought I 
would be—never once from the time we started over here.” 

At the first crack of the machine guns on the slope opposite him York dropped 
to earth. He was in a narrow path leading toward the emplacements. Directly 
in front lay the Boche prisoners, groveling in fear of their comrades’ fire. The 
machine guns were less than 30 yards away and were blazing straight down. 
Their stream of fire mowed off the tops of the bushes as though they had been 
cut with a scythe. 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


13 


- 4 nd th , ei1 the secon(1 elder got going on his own account. Sighting as care- 
uli\ as lie was wont to do in the turkey matches at home in Tennessee he 
hSi P t°v tlUg Roches in their fox holes, and the Bodies who were hiding 
hehiiKl trees, and the Bodies who were firing at him from the shelter of logs. 
And with every shot he brought down an enemy. No, I am wrong; lie showed 

me a crease on a tree bole later and confessed his belief that he'had missed 
that one. 

“\ou never heard such a clatter and racket in all your life,” he said. “I 
youldn t see any of our boys. Early and 'Cutting had run along toward the 
left in front of me just before the battle started, but I didn’t know where tliev 
were. 

SHOT THE WHOLE BUNCH. 


If Id moved Id have been killed in a second. The Germans were what 
saved me. 1 kept up close to them, and so the fellers on the hill had to fire 
a little high for fear of hitting their own men. The bullets were cracking just 
over my head and a lot of twigs fell down. 

“ Well, i fired a couple of clips or so—things were moving pretty lively, so 
I don’t know how many I did shoot—and first thing I knew a Boche got up 
and filing a little bomb at me about the size of a silver dollar. It missed and 
wounded one of the prisoners on the ground, and I got the Boche—got him 
square. 

“ Next thing that happened, a lieutenant rose up from near one of them ma¬ 
chine guns and he had seven men with him. The whole bunch came charging 
down the hill at me—like this. They held their guns like this. 

I had my automatic out by then, and let them have it. Got the lieutenant 
right through the stomach and he dropped and screamed a lot. All the Bodies 
who were hit squeeled just like pigs. Then I shot the others.” 

“ You killed the w hole bunch? ” 

“ Yes, sir. At that distance I couldn’t miss.” He killed this detachment be¬ 
fore they could charge 20 yards downhill—eight men. 

“ As soon as the Germans saw r the lieutenant drop, most of them quit firing 
their machine guns and the battle quieted down. I kept on shooting, but in a 
minute here come the major who had surrendered with the first bunch. I 
reckon he had done some shooting at us himself, because I heard firing from the 
prisoners and afterwards I found out that his pistol was empty. 

“ He put his hand on my shoulder like this and said to me in English: 

‘ Don’t shoot any more, and I’ll make them surrender.’ So I said, ‘ All right ’; 
and he did so, and they did so.” 

As York himself would phrase it the battle now quieted down, and the Bodies 
descended from their positions on the hill. They came in droves; their arrival 
swelled the number of prisoners to 90. 

Meanwhile the enemy machine guns from the hills back of the Americans 
were still spitting wildly in their direction, and none of the little detachment 
knew* at what moment other Germans might arrive or an undiscovered nest open 
on them. Their own dead lay about, and they had three wounded, but it be¬ 
came imperative that the detachment should return with their captures imme¬ 
diately. Accordingly Corpl. York formed up the prisoners in column and placed 
his surviving comrades as escort. 

To him came Acting Sergt. Early and Corpl. Cutting. The former said: 
“York, I’m shot, and shot bad. What’ll T do?” York answered: “You can 
come out in rear of the column with the other boys.” Pvt. Donahue helped 
bring him in, for Early was seriously wounded. Corpl. Cutting and Pvt. Muzzi 
were able to walk out unassisted. 

After the turmoil of fighting none but a w T oodsmall could have found his w T ay 
back. York’s sense of direction was perfect, but though lie knew whither 
he wanted to go he did not know the best way of getting there. The Boche 
major decided for him. 

“ Go along this path,” he suggested, pointing down the one which skirted 
the base of the hill. 

Of course York w 7 ent the other way; that was all he needed to determine 
him. He formed up his prisoners, placed the major in front of him as a screen, 
a couple of other officers behind him, and started up the side of the hill 
through the thick woods. The long line trudged behind, herded by the seven 
men left of the detachment, with Sergt. Early and the two other wounded 
bringing up the rear. All the Boches had flung down their weapons and equip¬ 
ment on surrendering. The field of battle w 7 as littered with their stuff. 


14 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


Just as we started I passed the body of Corpl. Murray Savage,” York told 
me, strongly moved. “ Him and I were cronies—he was my bunkie— but I 
had to leave him there. I didn’t dare to take my eye off the mob of prisoners.” 

As they toiled up the hill the major tried to engage York in conversation. 

“ How many men have you got?” he inquired. 

“ I got aplenty,” returned the second elder grimly, and made him step faster. 

It was impossible to see where they were going, on account of the thick brush, 
but York knew that the direction was right to bring them out on the side of 
the hill where the Americans ought io have established a post of command by 
this time. A hundred yards or more, and they were challenged. They had stum¬ 
bled upon another Boche machine-gun nest. York thrust the major in front 
of him, covered the crew with his pistol, and ordered them to surrender. They 
abandoned their weapons and equipment and joined the prisoners. 

During the journey back they flushed several more nests. In one the crew 
offered resistance. 

“ I had to shoot a man there,” remarked Corpl. York regretfully. When we 
hit the next nest and I got ready to settle them if they didn’t give up, the 
major tapped me on the shoulder and said: “ Don’t kill any more and I’ll make 
them surrender.” And he did. 

The result of these operations was that York and his small detachment 
pretty well cleaned up that hill before they arrived on the other side. He 
says that somebody was shooting at them from behind as they went along, 
but without any damage. 

* * * * * * * 

It was wearing on toward 10 o’clock when York and his column emerged 
from the scrub at the foot of the hill and halted near a dugout in which the 
attacking Americans had just established a battalion P. C. The battalion 
was now well up on the ridges flighting its way toward the Decauville Railroad. 

“ I certify that I personally counted the prisoners reported to the P. G. of the 
Second Battalion, Three hundred and twenty-eighth Infantry, by Corpl. Alvin 
C. York, Company G, Three hundred and twenty-eighth Infantry, on October 8, 
1918. and found them to be 132 in number.”—Jos. A. Woods, first lieutenant, 
assistant division inspector. 

The foregoing extracts from Pattullo’s Saturday Evening Post 
article contain the principal but by no means all the interesting facts 
pertaining to York’s fight. 

For example, I heard a newspaper man suddenly remark to York, 
“ Those German soldiers in front of you did not amount to much, 
anyhow, did they? ” Quick as a flash York calmly and modestly re¬ 
plied, “Well, they were a part of the Prussian Guards.” It is well 
known that what was termed first-class German soldiers were defend¬ 
ing this sector. The entire weight of the facts is that York killed 
25 Germans. 

Another incident: York told me that during the fight while he was 
firing on the machine gunners with his rifle he heard a noise indi¬ 
cating that some one was firing from among the German prisoners 
near him. He turned his head and discovered the German major 
with an automatic pistol in his hand. York threw his gun and 
bayonet around so that the bayonet extended toward and near the 
major’s face. The major dropped the pistol. York made him pick 
it up and throw it over by his side and also made him loose his belt 
and throw it over there. He then resumed firing on the machine gun¬ 
ners. The major’s pistol was found to be empty. In York’s fight 
the twigs were shot off above and on either side of him and the ground 
shot up in front of him. 

Mr. Chairman, I have picked up just casually a number of editorials 
which came into my office which analyze and depict the character and 
the personal qualities of York, both before and since his fight, and 
they really shed much light on the transaction itself. 


SERGT. ALVIN C. YORK. 


15 


The Chairman. Would you desire to have those editorials inserted 
in the hearing? 

Mr. Hull. Yes; I should like to do so, just in two or three instances, 
in order that the committee may more clearly see that York presents 
the highest type of the American soldier and that therefore this bill 
in bestowing a compliment upon him and in perpetuating this achieve¬ 
ment of his, private soldier that he was, would constitute recognition 
to the private soldiers generally by reason of the fact that the one 
among them who was fortunate enough and had the opportunity to 
accomplish the greatest individual feat is given the special recogni¬ 
tion proposed. The following extract from an editorial in the Phila¬ 
delphia Ledger, dated May 27, 1919, relates principally to the quali¬ 
ties and activities of York leading up to his fight: 

While a certain type of mind will squirm these days as it reads of the 
honors that crowd the path of Sergt. Alvin C. York, of Tennessee, who, like 
the captains of Bible times, slew 25 Germans and captured 132 in one 
engagement, although he was an elder in the Church of Christ and was 
opposed to war, at the same time, for most healthy minded Americans, York 
will stand as the best type of the American soldier. For Sergt. York was 
opposed to war and is still opposed to war. Though he has been medaled 
and honored by Congress and by Foch and is now being given practically 
the freedom of America, he is still the same simple, honest elder of the 
Tennessee mountains and has not become a bloodthirsty monster or a cruel 
and relentless advocate of might as against right. No. Elder York when 
he was drafted saw there was a great idea back of America’s participation 
in the war. He believed that “ righteousness exalteth a nation,” and also 
that it should prevail, and he convinced himself and others, too, that it was 
this country’s duty and his, by the way, not some other person’s duty who 
was not an objector, to put an end to the threat of might with which Ger¬ 
many tilled the earth. As a Christian, as Dr. Vandyke has pointed out, York 
made that tremendous and necessary distinction between hate and righteous 
abhorrence of wrong, without which abhorrence moral and spiritual concepts 
are a mere feeble beating of the winds. So, as our own Muhlenberg did in 
the Revolutionary days. Elder York saw that there was a time for fighting 
as well as a time for prayer and exhortation. And that he returns to his 
homeland tit in body and mind, and modest withal, warrants the enthusiasm 
over him, since wliat he does and says is a rebuke to those who would have 
us believe that this high police duty that our men performed across the 
ocean has permanently impaired the American character. As Sergt. York 
proves, as it were, on behalf of all his associates, it has given them a clearer 
vision of actualities and a new sense of the value of peace, but not a peace 
at the cost of dishonor, at the cost of right helpless before wrong, unpunished 
and unrepentant. 

The following extract from an editorial in the Louisville Courier- 
Journal, dated October 11, 1919, relates more particularly to the 
conduct and qualities exhibited by York since his discharge, but 
reflect back and shed light on the manner of man he was at the 
time of the fight: 

A SUPERAMERICAN. 

Alvin C. York, who might have lived in luxury like Mary Pickford had he 
been willing to capitalize his fame as a hero, is marvelously—to many persons 
incomprehensibly—modest, earnest, and unmercenary. His speech made in 
Louisville in the interest of the education of children in the mountains of 
Tennessee hardly is a revelation. His fame as a man of high ideals precedes 
him as far as his fame as a military hero, but his appearance in the flesh and 
his expression of the spirit impress anew the manliness of the man, which 
is even more inspiring than the achievement of the hero in the smoke and 
the sweat of battle. We admire the might and skill of a Trojan warrior. 
We revere the moral qualities of Lincoln. In the presence of Sergt. York, 
backwoodsman, blacksmith, farm hand, pillar of the local church, aie com- 


16 


SERGT. ALVIK C. YORK. 


billed the romantic attributes of a soldier of singular and all blit incredible 
achievement and the clear vision of the rare man of little schooling and much, 
reflection, who is the superior of the highly educated in essential enlightenment. 

It is said too often that the military hero is the mere dare-devil type, the 
sporting spirit who finds in war his first opportunity for really worthy accom¬ 
plishment. It is believed too widely that courage upon the battlefield proceeds 
from the love of excitement which makes the dashing polo player or rough 
rider or the reckless motorist. It is well for young Americans to hear from 
Sergt. York tlie following : 

“ I was offered many different kinds of positions, and to-night I could have 
$500,000 in bank if I’d accepted those offers, but I read in a little book I car¬ 
ried on the battle fields of France something that I remembered. It said, ‘ What 
does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? ’ 

“ When I came back here I remembered that those little ones in the mountains 
were struggling for something greater than money—the right to become upright 
and Christian men and women—and I thought I would show them the example.” 

School histories of the recent war should contain a chapter telling the story 
of Alvin C. York’s attitude toward his responsibilities after his return to 
America. 

Like Putnam, who is credited in legend with having crept into a wolf’s den 
and dispatched a destructive pariah, Sergt. York has the sort of self-confidence 
which makes possible Homeric achievement in a fight. Like Putnam he returned 
to the farm at the end of the war. Putnam’s fame is everlasting because he is 
compared with Cincinnatus. York’s fame will live because of his Lincolnian 
simplicity and moral steadfastness, not because of the incident in the Argonne 
solely. 

It is my understanding that citizens are arranging to buy and pay 
for a farm in Fentress County, Tenn., for Sergt. York. All the in¬ 
formation I have is to the effect that York contemplates making his 
permanent home on this farm, although at the earnest solicitation of 
local and other persons he is making a number of addresses in differ¬ 
ent cities in the interest of the establishment of a mountain school, 
and that the proceeds of each address are applied to this educational 
purpose. I understand that York does not recount the facts as to 
his fight in these addresses. He receives an immense volume of mail 
from,day to day and is constantly besought by persons connected 
with every kind of charitable, civic, or other public-spirited and 
benevolent organization or movement from far and near to lend his 
presence and valuable aid. He is also visited by many persons from 
even the most distant points. His will always be a personality which 
will attract much correspondence, many visitors, and constant de¬ 
mands on his time and services for various praiseworthy purposes 
will be made. The comparatively small allowance provided in the 
pending bill would not be inappropriate, in view of the facts I have 
just detailed. 

I do not think it can be said that this would constitute a bad prec¬ 
edent from any viewpoint. In fact, if only those in the class in 
which his record places him should invoke this as a precedent, the 
occasion to do so would probably not arise within our time, nor within 
centuries to come. In my judgment, no officer of the American Army 
would look with disfavor, much less with jealousy, upon this proposal, 
and I feel sure that the nearly 4,000,000 private soldiers whose fight¬ 
ing qualities York so highly typifies, would view as a compliment 
to the enlisted man generally the action of Congress in thus taking 
special notice, small though it be, of the most notable exploit per¬ 
formed by anyone among them, singly. 

(Thereupon the committee adjourned.) 


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